Final Report

This project was based on researching and analyzing the brand Miu Miu in terms of colour and applying colour theories in order to develop and forecast fashion trends for a Fall/Winter collection.
Initial research was carried out to gain a deeper understanding of the brand, its identity and its philosophy. Gaining background knowledge helped establish key concepts and characteristics of the brand and thus giving meaning and reasoning behind choice of style, colour and themes used in the collections. Identifying the main principles of the brand acted as an aid for direction in terms of designing the collection and choosing colours. The key findings for Miu Miu are that it targets a younger demographic to that of its sister brand, Prada, taking on a playful stance to fashion with childhood inspired elements and the brand has a multi-faceted nature, which is illustrated through its unnatural colour combinations.

Analysis of previous Miu Miu Collections was carried out to identify a common pattern in colour scheme and see what formula of colour is commonly applied, so that the future collection could adhere to the same formula to create brand consistency. What inspires Miu Miu collections was also explored for ideas.

In order to make sure that the theme and colour palette for the Miu Miu collection follows on from what is currently in fashion, research was carried out to see what themes and colour groups are currently on trend. Indentifying the colours currently on trend can then be developed and evolved into suitable colours for the next season. A process of selection was also carried out, in terms of drawing inspiration from the right colour palette, as not all the colours and themes on trend will be suitable for Miu Miu.

After identifying key themes of the season and analyzing inspiration of themes from Miu Miu’s previous collections, a point of inspiration was chosen. An art movement seemed most appropriate because it linked in closely to with the current trends in terms of shape and colour, as well as Miu Miu’s brand philosophy, where inspiration is drawn from culture and social issues.
Taking inspiration from Miu Miu’s previous collections, current trends and Cubism, an initial colour palette was created and tested on a sample of designs. With a focus on colour combinations, critical analysis was carried out and conclusions about successful and unsuccessful colour combinations were made. From this, the best colour combinations were explored and developed further, and a heavier focus was put on proportions of colour, keeping in mind the proportions that Miu Miu commonly uses.

To give the collection a better sense of direction, a more focused theme was established, with the aid of a mood board and looking at forecasted themes. From this, the choice of colour palette was altered, tested and then defined to give a final colour palette most suitable for the brand and theme.
After establishing the main blocks of colour, patterns were explored. Using inspiration from Cubism and aspects from the theme, patterns were tested and developed. Previous Miu Miu collections were analysed to identify the main proportions that Miu Miu uses for pattern.
Further trend research was carried out give direction for the shape and silhoutte of the collection. This research was base on existing trends and the theme was taken into account when selected trends that would be best suited for the Miu Miu collection.

The final collection: the concept that the final collection is aimed to deliver to the consumers is one that reflects the theme of Cubism. Colour has been used as a tool to create a subvert of ‘form’. As Cubism explores the concept of making objects 2D, a similar principle has been applied in the collection. Colour and lines haves been applied together to rearrange and distort contours.

The Final Collection

Above is my initial Miu Miu's Autumn Winter Collection for 2009/2010

This collection is inspired by Cubism, which is reflected in the shapes of the silhouttes and the print, however, the theme is not conveyed clearly enough to the consumer. A stronger emphasis on dimensions needs to be made, therefore I have developed the collection further:

THE COLLECTION:

The main inspiration of this collection came from Cubism, following similar principles to Cubist painters, who rejected the inherited concept that art should copy nature, or that they should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective, modeling, and foreshortening. Therefore an emphasis has been put on two-dimensionality, so I have reduced and fractured the shapes, designs and contours into geometric forms. Colour has been used to deliver this concept to the consumers. Using both contrasting hues together and also using the same hues adjacent to one another, I have extracted a distorted the dimensions of the garments as from each different perspective, the contours appear different.

I have also tried to portray a schizophrenic element to the collection, following in line with previous Miu Miu collections and taking inspiration from Miu Miu's key philosophy where a woman is constantly being redefined. The Schizophrenic theme focuses on the natural and the unnatural, displayed through the contrasting use of colour, shape and pattern. Using key characteristics from Cubism: geometric silhouttes and sharp, fragmented angles, I have contrasted it with soft curvacious silhouttes and prints based on nature, such as birds and leaves. I have altered the proportions of colour in the collection to what Miu Miu would usually use to reinforce the Schizophrenic theme. Miu Miu would normally have a greater proportion of black and of one hue, which I did initially, however, in order to convey the schizophrenic theme I have included more orange to oppose the purple. This is an exaggeration of a formula that Miu Miu already applies in her collections as there is normally a vivid split in the collections, where there is a contrast in colour and style. For example, in AW08 the collection is divided into 2, where a sports theme is shown in one with greens and reds, then the second part of the collection is more glamourous with black and gold and sequins.

Colour has been used as a tool to deliver the schizophrenic concept. I have adjusted the colour levels of the images so they are unnatural (e.g. bright purple hue for a bird), which applies the principle of novelty as it is the unexpected. There is juxtaposition of a natural image with an unnatural colour. Colour has also been utilised to portray a schizophrenic feel to the collection as I have contrasted two opposing hues: purple and orange. Using a stark contrast, fragments the outfits, reflecting a split personality of a Schizophrenic individual.

The colours of the collection reflect the lifestyle of the brand. Bright, high value, high chroma hues have been applied, to reflect the fun, child-like image of the brand, in contrast to its sister brand, Prada. However a large proportion of black has been included to reflect the brands sophisticated stance.

Trends: Shape and Silhoutte

I need to consider the trend direction for the shape and silhoutte of the collection, based on research of existing trends and taking into account the Schizophrenic theme of the collection.

Key Concepts for Sihoutte AW 08/09

• Imaginative cutting techniques embody a new wearalbe modernity.


• The focus is all in the sleeve, with an 80s influenced silhoutte that provides shoulder volume without the pads.


• Soft curvaceous cutting is contrasted sharply this season with sharp angular dimension. Hip emphasis is also prevalent, with sophisticated volume key to this season's silhouette message.


• A womanly hourglass is the desired shape, albeit subverted. With an eye for detail, new frontiers are filtered through classic pieces while adhering to traditional techniques.

Sharp and Angular

These sharp angles, particularly at the shoulder can be compared to Cubism Art, where geometric shapes are key.

The red and beige outfit is from one of Miu Miu's collection - it is evident to see that exaggerated, volumous silhouttes are already something which Miu Miu has adopted in its collections.

The Cuibst Cutting theme is particulary fitting for my collection as I have taken inspiration from Cubist art. This is a good demonstration of geometric shapes.

This Schizophrenic silhoutte ties in perfectly with the collection is it reflects the theme of juxtaposition and contrast. This also conforms to Miu Miu's brand identity with the schizophrenic nature of the collections.

I like how the hour glass, a traditionally soft, curvacious shape has been distorted and adapted to become anglular with sharp edges. This ties in well with the Schizophrenic theme, and the idea of distorting something natural.



Soft and Curvacious

Below are examples of curvacious silhouttes that contrast the angular ones above:

Distortion and exaggeration are a key feature of the silhouttes of the season.

Distortion is an interesting concept, which ties in well with my Cubist influence. It also can be compared to previous Miu Miu collections, where silhouttes have been exaggerated, giving a slightly distorted effect. It also relates to Miu Miu's print, as Miu Miu has included distorted, characteur faces as a print.

For my collection I will use a combination of rigid, angualr shapes as well as soft, curvacious ones, to emphasise the Schizophrenic theme.

Pattern Development

Patterns inspired by Cubism

In order to incorporate pattern into the collection I have cropped and edited existing images of Cubism Art, extracting geometric shapes, then repeated them to create a pattern:

The Cubist Portrait (above right) can be compared to images used as patterns and motifs in previous Miu Miu Collections: (left: SS 09, right: SS08)

Stylised portraits have been used within the patterns. Facial features have been characteured and exaggerated and the images have been cropped to exaggerate and put out of proportion. In SS08 the same image has been used on different garments, but in a slightly different way, for example altering the size of the image.

Below are examples of ways I have applied repeat patterns in a collection. These shapes have been cropped from a Cubist art piece.

Here is a sample of the application of these patterns. I have tried to keep in line with the pattern formula that Miu Miu applies; using a mix of all over pattern, as well as motifs that lie on blocks of colour. The colours of the patterns work well with my chosen palette as they are purple hues as well as neutral creams.

Through repeat pattern and choice of geometric, angular shapes, I have tried to reflect the cubicm theme and create a fragmented effect.

Rather than using lots of different styles of pattern, Miu Miu often sticks to one pattern and then makes slight variations for consistency. In the example above, you can see that the image of the face has been used in more than one garment, but in one the whole image is included, and the other, just an enlarged segment. This gives consistency across the collection.

Re-sizing the images gives a distorted out of proportion effect, which suits Miu Miu's brand principles: creating something out of the ordinary and quirky.

Developing the Pattern Further

In order to make the colours more complimentary to my colour palette I have made adjustments to the original image to create the right value and saturation.

More magenta Addition of red More cyan& magenta, less red

Patterns Inspired by Nature

As the theme of the collection is to be based on Schizophrenia, I want to include some patterns that contrast the geometric prints. Below is a variety of images based on nature as a point of inspiration.

Birds:

Leaves:

The veins are an interesting element of a leaf and can create very intricate looking patterns, especially when zoomed in up close.

Trees:

The hues in both the above images match the hues I intend to use in my collection. I think the silhoutte of the trees branches creates a beautiful pattern and the darkness of the silhoutte contrasts well with the high chroma hues of the sunset.

Here is an example of the application of my inspirational images as a pattern. I have cropped and repeated a peacocks head and altered the colour to fit in with my scheme.

This is a good example of the application of pattern based on nature. I have taken one image of a birds head and changed it to be monochromatic, in the hue of purple to keep in line with the over all colour scheme. I have re-sized the image and, in some cases, repeated the image to create an overall pattern or have cropped the image so that it looks more abstract. This is following in the style of Miu Miu's concept where a stylised portrait has been cropped and printed onto the garments in SS08 and SS09 Collections. I think the variation of the same image works well because it gives a sense of consistency and unity in the collection.

Proportions of Pattern In Miu Miu Collections

SS07:

Total outfits = 35

Pattern = 6

Motifs = 5

Total pattern = 31%

FW 07:
Total outfits = 46
Pattern = 0
Total Pattern = 0%

SS08:

Total Outfits = 40

Subtle Pattern = 7

Stripes = 7

Faces = 6

Total Pattern = 50%

FW08:

Total Outfits = 38

Pattern = 11

Total Pattern = 29%

SS09:

Total Outfits = 37

Pattern = 14

Motifs = 4

Total Pattern = 49%

The average proportion of pattern in all 5 Miu Miu Collections analysed above is 32%. This means that Miu Miu uses a ration of roughly 2/3 Block colour and 1/3 Patterned/Motif

Consumers' lifestlyes and Mass Customization

Below, I have analysed two of my schoolmates' lifestyles and their mass customisations

Schoolmate A

Life Style:
She is a 21 year old fashion student who originally lives in the village of the English countryside, She studies and works in London, therefore there are two key influences to her lifestyle. She works in Jack Wills, a British brand which targets upper-middle and upper class youths. She loves to shop at Laura Ashley, which reflects her country lifestyle, but also likes to shop on the high street in more urban shops such as TopShop and All Saints. She enjoys reading fashion magazines such as Vogue, Glamour and Grazia, and also likes to indulge in celebrity gossip by reading Hello, OK and Heat.

Mass Customization:
A lot of her belongings are designer, such as a D&G watch, a Balenciaga hand bag and a Marc Jacobs purse. This indicates her interest in fashion, and suggests that she likes to follow what is on trend. A lot of the clothes she wears are from Jack Wills. This is predominantly because she works for the brand. The colours that she normally wears are navy, white and grey. This are very basic, neutral colours that can be mixed and matched easily so she can alter her style from day to day. She also likes to brighten her wardrobe by wearing light green or yellow and always wears silver jewellery.



Schoolmate B

Lifestyle:
He is a 22 year old from Denmark. He studies business and enjoys doing extreme sports such as skiining and Bunjy Jumping.

Mass Customization:
He takes care of his appearance and likes to wear designer labels, in particular Ralph Lauren. His look is very smart, often wearing jeans or tailored shorts and a polo t-shirt or a shirt. He also wears Ray Ban sunglasses, has an i-pod touch and drives an expensive car, which reflects his flash lifestyle and shows that he likes to keep up with the latest technology and fashions.
He mainly wears bright colours, such as yellow and green which often reflects his cheery mood!

The Colour Palette

From my developments, I have used pantone to create a broad colour palette:

From this palette I have selected key colours and tested them out on my templates, as shown below:

The vibrancy of the high chroma purple/pink hues add warmth and excitement to the palette and the high value, deep purples create depth and balance. The darker shades particulary work well with the light tints of creamy beige.

This example uses purple hues with high value and high chroma and includes a small proportion of wine red, dusky pink and orange. The mixture of high and low chroma hues is pleasing to the eye, as the lower chroma hues soften the harshness of the contrasting hues.

This example uses low chroma hues, which makes the palette soft and not so intense. I think having high chroma hues is more suitable for Miu Miu's collection because it reflects the brands identity better in terms of it being a fun, young brand. Using softer tints, gives the collection a more older and subdued feel.

I have experimented with a mixture of purple hues and black, to keep in line with Miu Miu's normal formula. I think the analogous scheme is very successful, especially with the addition of black, howeve, hints of other hues, such as orange would add more interest and variation to the palette.

The image above uses the same colour scheme as before with the addtion of 3 different tints and tones of orange, as well as dusky pink and brown. In terms of proportion, these hues should only be used in moderation, to accent the collection, not over power it.

Below is my final colour palette that I will use for Miu Miu's A/W 09/10 Collection:

This colour palette can be divided into two: the purples and the pinks and the reds and the oranges. Miu Miu collections are often divided into two, as it reflects the brands philosophy that there are lots of different sides to a womans personality. It also reflects the playful nature of the brand, as it presents the unexpected.